Bratislava – A Birdwatching Haven

For our 150th post on Englishmaninslovakia.com we are honoured to have a guest article on birdwatching in and around Bratislava from one of the city’s most experienced birdwatchers, Tomáš Novák. A keen birdwatcher, nature lover, and “bike birder”, his particular passion is urban birding (spotting the birdlife that inhabits urban areas) and owing to the variety of terrains around Bratislava, there is rather a large amount of bird diversity…

It may be that birdwatching in Slovakia is not as popular a pastime as it is in the UK or U.S. Yet Bratislava definitely offers great opportunities to explore the world of birds. There are various habitats on offer: from open fields in the Pannonian lowlands to the forests of the Small Carpathians; from the Danube and its wet floodplain meadows to vineyards and forest steppe. We should not omit, in the city itself, urban parks, bodies of water or high-rise buildings. So where in Bratislava is best to enjoy birdwatching?

Danube

Hrušovská zdrž water reservoir below Bratislava is a large water body that attracts plenty of bird species. It is one of the most important wintering site for some species of waterbirds in Central Europe. Beside thousands of wintering Tufted Ducks, Goldeneyes, Pochards or Mallards, you can spot some more unusual species such as the Pygmy Cormorant, Greater Scaup, Velvet Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Smew or Red-breasted Merganser. During migration season it is possible to observe various species of waders and Marsh Terns as well – and, to name just some of the others – the Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Curlew or Black Tern. It is one of the last refuges of breeding Mediterranean Gulls in Slovakia. And last but not least I need to mention the uncrowned king of the Danube’s sky. The majestic White-tailed Eagle breeds here and the numbers swell every winter with birds that come from Northern Europe to spend the winter months by the Danube.

How to get there:Bus 91 to Čunovo, bus 90 to Areál vodných športov or by bike from Petržalka along the seepage canal MAP

Železná studnička Area

Bratislava lies in the foothills of Small Carpathians. You can dive into the 1500 km long arc of Carpathian beech forests, which begins right above the city. At the entrance to the Bratislava Mestske Lesy (which leads you up into the Small Carpathians from Železná studnička railway station in western Bratislava) the proximity of these forests brings a handful of interesting bird species. I’ll start with woodpeckers. In Slovakia you can find all ten species that live in Europe. Nine of them can be spotted in or next to the forests around Bratislava – the Middle Spotted, Great Spotted, Syrian, White-backed, Green, Grey-headed, Black, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Wryneck. For all save the last two, you have to go a little way into the forests, for the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker you’ll find them on the edge of forest vegetation and for the Wryneck focus your attentions on the border between the forest and vineyard-covered slopes – where it might breed in old orchards or small clumps of trees. The Wood Warbler, Collared and Red-breasted Flycatchers breed in the Bratislava forests as well. Have you tried birding during the night? You need to try it – and one of the rewards is the call of the Tawny Owl, which can also be found here.

How to get there: Bus 43 from Patrónka (once you’re up in the forests, any stop will do to get out and start exploring) MAP

Sandberg and Devínska Kobyla

The old sandstone quarry in Devínska Nová Ves, easily accessible by walk, is one of the top natural sites in Bratislava. From early May you can find here colony of breeding European Bee-eaters, the most colourful Slovak bird. A stunning surrounding landscape

comprising Marchfeld, the Morava River and iconic Devín castle is a good motive for a walk. The hunting Red-backed Shrike, the singing Chiffchaff, soaring Red Kites, White Storks and, if you are lucky, the Imperial Eagle could be spotted. This is a forgotten world of steppe habitats, orchid meadows, rare insects, endemic animal and plant species, and high diversity of snakes, butterflies and flowers. Need more be said? Definitely a must if you are a nature lover.

A classic (and, by foreigners, rarely visited) natural treasure is the greenbelt of the Morava River, the former “iron curtain” area. You can find here a mosaic of wet meadows, oxbow lakes, alluvial forests and agricultural land. This beautiful landscape is a shelter for the breeding of water birds and a roosting site for migrating geese. Various birds of prey – the Marsh Harrier, Red Kite, White-tailed Eagle or Imperial Eagle – could be observed here. Even Black Storks are searching for the food in the moist meadows. Not enough? The Barred Warbler, Corncrake or Golden Oriole may convince you. In addition the bike path is lined with the old military bunkers. Discover a green paradise no further away than the northern outskirts of a Capital city!

How to get there:Train to Devínske Jazero, by bike from Devínska Nová Ves following the marked trail to Vysoká pro Morave MAP

One could complain that busy people do not have enough time to explore the nature around the city. But when you take a closer look at the fine birding spots right in the city centre, you have to concede that nature is so close in Bratislava, you barely have to do more than glance up to see it! During a lunch break, a walk in the Medická záhrada public garden and nearby Ondrejský cintorín cemetery could reveal a Green Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Wood Pigeon, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Spotted Flycatcher or Icterine Warbler. Similar and more diverse list can be observed in Sad Janka Kráľa public park, across the other side of the Danube from Most SNP. The water bodies of Štrkovec, Kuchajda and Zlaté Piesky offer you a nice walk after work with good views of Black-headed Gulls, Common Terns, Coots, Mute Swans or just lovely Mallards. So does the Chorvátske rameno canal and Veľký Draždiak in Petržalka. Kingfishers in Bratislava? Yes, at Karloveské rameno – an arm of the Danube next to Karlová Ves. And the very fortunate can spot Beavers as well. Large flocks of wintering Rooks and Jackdaws can be spied flying over the city center around sunset. And did you know that Peregrine Falcon use to roost on the top of the Incheba Exhibition Centre highrise building in the winter?

This is not, by any means, a complete list of birdwatching spots in Bratislava. Many more posts would be needed to fully showcase them all. I just tried to provide here a taster of the natural diversity of the Slovak capital. Would you like to have a birdwatching guided walk or bike trip? Feel free to contact me on e-mail (tomas.novak@ymail.com) or Twitter (@titodaking). It’s easy. Just grab your binoculars, camera and backpack and let’s go exploring the nature of Bratislava.

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We're going gourmet this year: expect our output on where to eat/drink out to increase dramatically (quirky places only mind)! And because we like you to sleep well - and wackily: more features on some of Slovakia's more interesting hotels.

PLUS Lots of suggestions for getting out exploring a wilderness of mountains and forests.

AND what happens if you wake up one morning in London and decide, impromptu, to take the train all the way across the EU to Slovakia!